Detroit’s bankruptcy shocked those who obviously hadn’t been paying attention to the pandemic issues of inequality sweeping across cities in the United States over the past half century. The state of governance in Detroit becomes more twisted everyday: the City’s planning future characterized by an emphasis on the Detroit Future City Framework, the controversy over […]

As major cities around Australia and the world have acted on the growth of their cities and airports’ patronage by installing high-volume contemporary public transport services, the world’s most liveable city’s airport has stood still. As Sydney Airport constructed a rail system as the Olympics approached, Melbourne has failed to canvass any such plans whilst announcing that a new […]

Although discovered by John C. Fremont in 1844, the area of Lake Tahoe was slow to develop mainly due to its harsh winters and alpine location. However, as more people came west due to the Gold Rush, Lake Tahoe slowly began to develop into a tourist destination, especially when silver was found nearby in Virginia […]

Market days in Indianapolis, Indiana are unlike no other day. The iconic sound of the bell signalizes the opening of the market, and the whole block instantly comes alive. From the tantalizing aroma of baked goods, to the incredible amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, Wednesdays are very special in downtown Indy. Going to the […]

Detroit’s filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on Thursday, July 18th seemed to shock national and international media, even though this next-step for Detroit has been described as “inevitable” for over a decade. In the days since the big news, it has been interesting to examine how national media outlets are covering Detroit. Journalists left and […]

Six months went by awfully quickly. I started writing for The Grid during a wet and cold January in Milan, Italy; it is now July, hot, and sunny. The internship happened to coincide with my last semester of graduate school; classes are over, and the once-distant light of graduation is within reach. The way these […]

Sonoma County has been a tourist haven for wine connoisseurs and recreationalists for decades. In more recent years, the county has gained notoriety for its commitments to climate protection, alternative transportation and sustainable communities. This is evident in the planning efforts of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) and the Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The plan […]

The South Branch of the Chicago River Chicago’s relationship with its river is a conflicted one. Chicago was only chosen as a settlement site due to the possibility of joining two major watersheds, that of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River to the Mississippi River. The waterway that made the city possible took […]

A big Global Site Plans welcome to our newest blogger, Andrew Carr in San Francisco, California and Hampton Roads, Virginia. Andrew Carr is currently pursuing a M.A. in International and Development Economics at the University of San Francisco in California, focusing on urban and community level development. Originally from Yorktown, Virginia, Andy also holds a B.A. from Christopher […]

A big Global Site Plans welcome to our newest blogger, Abbey Seitz in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Abbey Seitz is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Design of Art in Architecture and minor in Sustainability Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Growing up in a small suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, she knew no different than cold snowy […]

Last year, The Grid went on a mission to uncover the most popular urban planning-related websites for 2012. With extensive research and the help of Alexa International Rankings, we were able to compile a list of the top 20 websites for this specific niche. It is time for an update. In the list for 2013 […]

In the United States, we often refer to the widespread suburban, non-city center areas as sprawling neighborhoods. They have streets that wind in and out, causing disorientation and creating minutes-long drives just to enter or exit some developments. In contrast, we often consider the “European context” to be a dense urban paradigm that balances the […]

Why does it seem that sometimes the more advanced we get, or the more available technology becomes, the less effective we become? This is the case with Public Transport in Melbourne. Up until the 1990’s Trams were controlled by aged conductors, dressed classically and ever approachable. They were employed to make sure everyone who came […]

Promoting bicycle ridership has become a widespread mission across many regions, ranging from small towns to large cities. In California’s East Bay, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) has grown to be the primary advocacy group to make bicycling more feasible and safer on a large scale. The organization’s “guiding principles” include the following: Make […]

Rob Spanier, LiveWorkLearnPlay Rob Spanier, Partner and Principal of LiveWorkLearnPlay, began with the analogy that planning is the hardware, and activation is the software. He said that there are ways to activate a community in ways that don’t need to rely upon huge capital investment. So why farmers’ and public markets? Spanier said that markets […]

Dan Solomon, Mithun | Solomon Dan Solomon, CNU co-founder, author, and Principal at Mithun | Solomon, opened the session by saying that in the context of new urbanism concepts being introduced to developing countries, “We can’t exactly declare victory, but we’ve made our presence strong.” Overall, he explained the urban planning struggles in China. He […]

After reading articles about residents growing vegetables in their backyards and seeing community gardens sprouting (pun intended) up in dense cities, I have become intrigued by this idea of growing your own produce instead of purchasing it at your local market. Is there a real future for this contemporary practice or will it continue to […]

Tramways have a greater impact on communities than local governments give them. Tramways connect people and business in a way that no other physical medium can. These electric transportation vessels revitalize and help refurbish and reshape not only businesses and surrounding streets, but also business models and the identities of cities. Nottingham Express Transit or […]

Climate change has now become the problem the world cannot ignore. Addressing future global warming, and adapting to it now, will require making fundamental changes to the way we live. How we produce, distribute and use energy is key to this. Decentralised energy allows the financial costs and energy losses associated with the long-distance national […]

This historic industrial building – gone commercial haven – success story begins with “The Biggest Man in Spokane,” Simon Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer, a prominent member of Spokane’s Jewish community, was one of the first in the area to go to Russia in search of investors. His efforts were fruitful after convincing a Dutch mortgage company to […]